Soda bread

The soda bread is a kind of soft, golden bread made with baking soda. In its most basic form it contains only four ingredients; flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. Yet it can be changed when you add other ingredients. For instance, if you add a little sugar, some raisins, then cut in some butter, it may become a Raisin soda bread.[1]

Soda bread does not use yeast to get its rise, instead the rise comes from baking soda reacting with the acid (soured milk or buttermilk).[1] This makes it a 'quick' bread that can be made in under 15 minutes. The important thing to remember is to have mix and knead the dough quickly and lightly. This will give you a bread that is dense, but not doughy, with a tender, slightly moistinterior.[1] Once the dough is formed into a round, a cross is cut on the top of the bread, which divides it into quarters called farls.[1]